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I am currently attempting to get my ass back on track. I feel sometimes as if that is my plan every quarter and within two weeks I've reverted back to my old, lazy, negative ways. For the life of me I can't figure out why I do this. When I'm on point, I feel so much better. About my job, my life, my relationships, hell even just physically better.

I've talked before about the wonders that Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod did for me. It opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. Of course, because I can't leave well enough alone, I have bastardized Mr. Elrod's system to create one of my own that works so much better for me. If you remember, Hal's system SAVERS, has you focus on "Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Scribing, Reading, Exercise." These things are wonderful and when I first began my morning routine, I followed these every day. And it worked. I was more productive, I was happier and I never really felt more tired at the end of the day.

However, over time, I began to slack off. I'm sure one Saturday morning my alarm went off and I said NOPE, and the whole thing unraveled. I would half-heartedly try again, randomly, but it never seemed to take again. But I knew I needed to do something to get back to that peaceful feeling the system had given me. But it couldn't all happen every single morning. I needed something that would be more flexible, but still beneficial.

So, I came up with my own system. This is a system that I plan to launch into a full blown program that I will offer to clients in the near future. But you, my lovely little Alliance, will get the first scoop here, for free. Lucky you. My system is called S.H.A.L.L. As in, together we SHALL improve, we SHALL succeed, we SHALL be better. Clever, huh?

Let's jump right in to how my days work, SHALL we? (See what I did there?)

Spirituality - Now, this doesn't have to be a religious thing, if you aren't in to that sort of thing. I use this time to combine silence, meditation, affirmation and visualization into one. I sit in silence, repeat positive mantras to myself, and visualize. Usually I will have a set number of mantras that I repeat to myself every month, but the visualization will change based on what I want to accomplish that day or that week.

Health - I get up at 3.45 am, drink 16 oz of water, then go to the gym for an hour. I shower at the gym, drink more water, and eat breakfast in my car on the way to work. This is how I am taking care of myself at the moment. If you know me, or have followed me for any length of time, you will know that I drink an almost unhealthy amount of black tea. Gallons of it every day. So in the morning, I try my hardest to hydrate with water only before moving on to coffee and tea.

Art - This one, you would think, would be the easiest for me
to accomplish on a regular basis. This is just writing. And reading I suppose.
But mainly writing. Having 38 published books in 9 years, one would think that
I write all the time. Well...not so much, but thanks for the confidence.
Actually, I struggle so hard with writing consistently that it has almost
become a joke. I will go two months without writing a word, then suddenly I
bust out a 30k book in a weekend. It sounds cool, but I would much rather be
able to consistently write 1k a day than to be so erratic.

Life – This is all of the mundane bullshit that has to be
done, regardless of how we feel about doing it. Email. To-Do Lists. Going to a
job. Paying Bills. Making a Budget. It sucks, we hates it. But our quality of
life is dependent on us staying on top of these things. So the earlier in the
day we can complete these tasks, the more time we have in our day for the more
enjoyable parts. So tackle it. Make a budget. Start a 401K. Be a goddamned
adult, so when you’re old you can play like a fucking kid again.

Love – This too, is open to the interpretation you need
it to be. I try my damndest to focus on spending quality time with my kids and
with my husband. We have instituted a movie night at our house so our friends
can come over, eat junk food and hang out together without having to spend a
fortune at a restaurant or bar. If you have pets, this section can include
taking your puppy to PetSmart for a new toy once a month. Getting out the laser
pointer and letting your kitties play. Whatever or whoever you love, make sure
you’re taking time to put them as a priority in your life. Even if you can only
manage an hour a day, make those moments only about them. Don’t play games on
your phone while your kids watch TV and call it quality time. Be present for
them. You’ll never regret the time you take with them, but you will forever
regret it when the opportunity is gone.

So, that's my current routine in a nutshell. As I said, I'm developing a full program around this system that will be available soon. But until then, I hope you find these ideas helpful. Let me know in the comments if you have a routine that keeps you grounded.

XoXoXoDakota

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